Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew

So, the groundhog saw his shadow, as he does pretty much every year. We’ve had a very unusually warm February, and it almost feels like spring is here. I know better. It’s that sneaky mid-season bait-and-switch game. We get all cocky in our sweatshirts and jeans, no coats, feeling like we might need to bust out the swimsuits and flip flops at any moment. And then, wait for it…..the temps will plummet, snow will fly and we’ll be back to hibernation mode. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Hence, the recipe for Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew…the perfect one-pot wintry dinner to “celebrate” your despondency over six more weeks of ice and snow and cold. Drown your sorrows in a steamy bowl, and you might just perk up a bit. Maybe winter’s not so bad after all.

And what’s with this groundhog business anyway? Who made the groundhog the meteorological guru of the world?

Apparently, this holiday’s been around for a very long time, brought to America by German immigrants a couple hundred years ago, and its origins go wayyyy back from there! Wow.

Arguably, the most famous weather-savvy groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil, of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Phil’s getting up there. He’s been at this business since the late 1880’s, so I guess he knows what he’s doing. All I know is that Phil saw his shadow, so winter’s probably not leaving us any time soon.

Better embrace it. Stoke up the fire. Whip up some Paleo Crock Pot Beef Stew. And maybe a bit of hot cocoa to top it all off. Okay, this really isn’t all bad! Maybe summer can wait just a bit.